As the weather around British Columbia gets colder, WorkSafe BC is reminding employers about their responsibility to protect workers from weather-related hazards. That includes extreme temperatures, wet and slippery walkways, and poor road conditions. The organization says working in cold-weather conditions can lead to serious injuries if employees are unprepared. WorkSafe says sees an approximate 11 per cent increase in injuries caused by slips and falls between November and March, many of them resulting in serious injuries including fractures, sprains, and dislocations.

City councillors in New Westminster and Surrey are calling for a Metro Vancouver ``snow summit,'' with the threat of another storm on the way. Daniel Fontaine of New Westminster and Linda Annis in Surrey want representatives from the province, Metro Vancouver, first responders, road maintenance contractors, and municipalities to meet and find ways to avoid the chaos caused by a snowstorm last month. The November storm led to crashes that blocked off major roads, took out power for nearly 10,000 BC Hydro customers and led to a plane skidding off a taxiway at the Vancouver International Airport

More than 77,500 people were vaccinated against influenza from Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, 2022, including 42,582 people who were vaccinated during the weekend’s influenza-vaccine walk-in clinic blitz. This was part of government’s efforts to support people and families with children to get vaccinated before the holidays. This effort resulted in approximately 1.6 million individuals, or 30% of the general population aged six months and older, having now received the influenza vaccine in B.C. From Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, 2022, more than 77,532 influenza vaccinations were administered to more than:9,016 c

Premier David Eby says the provincial auto insurer is applying for a two-year rate freeze on basic auto insurance to help alleviate some of the high cost-of-living pressures on British Columbians. He says if the application by the Insurance Corporation of B.C. is approved by the provincial utilities commission, it will mark five years with no increases for the basic rates.The announcement comes as ICBC reported $117 million in net income for the first half of the 2022-23 fiscal year, alongside lower investment income and a significant decline in value for the insurer's equity investments by th

Jim Carr, a Liberal MP from Winnipeg and a former cabinet minister, has died. He was 71. Winnipeg MP Kevin Lamoureux asked the House of Commons for a moment of silence before question period today. The parties then agreed to suspend the House for the rest of the day. Carr had represented the riding of Winnipeg South Centre for the Liberals since 2015. He served as the minister of natural resources and then the minister of internal trade diversification between 2015 and 2019. In 2019, the day after being re-elected as an MP, he was diagnosed with the blood cancer multiple myeloma, and he under

BC Children's Hospital has approved double-bunking patients in single-occupancy rooms as it tries to cope with an influx of patients with respiratory illnesses. A memo obtained by The Canadian Press says that while it's preferable that patients be in single rooms, two patients may share ``if required to provide safe care.'' The memo, sent Friday, says similar measures have been implemented in other years and any decision must be made in consultation with the hospital's infection prevention and control team. Last week, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the province was seeing a `

Vancouver Police have released a video appeal for new details about a woman who drowned in the waters off Spanish Banks in late September, and hope the power of social media may lead to information about who she was. "Someone out there knew this woman and loved her, but probably doesn’t yet know about her tragic death," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "Nobody should die in anonymity, and we’re asking anyone who sees this video to share it with their social networks so we can identify her and inform her loved ones." The woman – she appears Black and in her 30s, with short black hair and dis

RCMP say a woman is expected to survive after she was shot Monday in a targeted attack.They say in a news release the incident occurred that evening at a home on Dewdney Trunk Road.She was taken to hospital for treatment by BC Emergency Health Services.Police say they believe the attack was not related to the Lower Mainland gang conflict.An RCMP Investigational Support Team is leading the investigation in conjunction with the Serious Crime Unit.Police do not believe there is a risk to the public.

Two new ministries are being created to devote more attention and resources to major issues that impact British Columbians: the Ministry of Housing, and the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.The new cabinet includes 23 ministers and four ministers of state. Gender representation remains balanced. The cabinet will be supported in its work by 14 parliamentary secretaries.The cabinet is as follows:* Premier: David Eby* Agriculture and Food: Pam Alexis* Attorney General: Niki Sharma* Children and Family Development: Mitzi Dean* Citizens' Services: Lisa Beare* Education and Chi